This is simply a place where I can share my Insytes about new trends and strategies for benefiting from them. I see the world from a very holistic perspective, sitting at the crossroads of business, technology and communications. Here you can also learn with me as we discover what the Knowledge Economy really looks like as it emerges before our eyes.

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

The Blog Rollercoaster, Starting the Conversation

There is an old saying that goes, "Some days it is in the cards, and some days it isn't". My grandfather used to say that a lot about whether or not he would be able to golf when the summer rains came, but it just as well could refer to my relationship with Blogging. Rather than looking at blogging as 'my job' which I must do every day, I go with the flow and my blog posting frequency changes dramatically as a result.

Somedays I am so excited by an idea or news item that I must put other things on hold to blog about it. Sometimes, I end up writing posts just for me that never get published - many never even saved, just written. Other times, like the past couple of weeks, I am so deep in the activities of 'work', having conversations with people and simply being in the real world, I have no time for it. Even if it is important to share or perhaps just personally meaningful, it is nearly impossible for me to get a blog post published. I suspect a lot of people out there are like me in this regards - sometimes we are just too busy with life, work or whatever to find time to blog.

The key is that I don't need to blog every day, or several times a day to make an impact, but it would certainly help in some regards. My goal is to merely communicate with people who care about the things I care about - to have my voice heard and be recognized for my ability to understand a particular topic. So I do it when I have time and do my best to share valuable insights, stories and experiences with you. Depending on your goals, or the goals of your organization though, the demands on your time could be vastly different. I know of at least 2 startup companies here in Silicon Valley who don't do plan to do any traditional PR activities. They expect their blog will be the company's official voice to the public, to their customers and to the press at large. They blog when they have something to say. not everyday for the sake of blogging.

The month ahead is going to be an interesting shift for me as I move from the free flowing Blogger mentality of writing when I feel like it for the sole purpose of serving my own passions to blogging every day as part of my work life. Today marks the beginning of a new gig I am doing with my friends over at Fleishman Hillard. I have this incredible opportunity to lead an online conversation leading up to an event they are sponsoring with DC Communicator called Beyond Blogging 2006. The premise is very dear to my heart and is something I have been talking about for quite some time.

The truth is that Blogs are a free style, free ranging form of communications that have made it possible for people and organizations to more directly communicate with the world over the Internet. It does not require an army of 'techies' to publish, it does not require some special knowledge of some cryptic computer language and it does not require any real capital expenditures. A Blog can be started in under 5 minutes, it can be free or a few dollars per month, it can be private or public, it can be used as a simple outbound communications channel or it could be used as the foundation of a community. Blogs are just another tool in the communications arsenal, so I am glad we are not doing another conversation on Blogs - it is time to go way beyond the initial idea and look at the bigger picture of how all of this fits together and can be used properly by all communication professionals.

Too many people think that the 'Blog' is some mythical panacea for communications. Too many people don't understand the idea of Blogging within the proper context of participating in the conversation. Too many people think that the Blog is just another fad. (even I have written about Blogging being a fad previously) Regardless of what we think of Blogging, it is here to stay - the power of the tools are growing tremendously along with the number of people who are using Blogs for personal and professional communications. So this event, and this Blog, represent a great opportunity to dive into the conversation with communications professionals who are on the front lines of the industry. Together we will explore the strategic and tactical aspects of Blogging in the context of the shifting media landscape, to collectively gain a better understanding of where it fits within the broader context of communications.

So your first assignment, if you choose to accept it, is to dust off your old copy of The Cluetrain Manifesto and celebrate the 7th anniversary of this landmark book with me. The majority of what we will be talking about over the next month leading up to the Beyond Blogging event on May 19th will likely be based within the key principle of Cluetrain thinking - "markets are conversations". From my perspective, the job of communications professionals, marketing pros and even sales people is to engage people in conversations - this is perhaps what has been forgotten by a few and is what real people are craving - but that discussion can wait for another day.

Over the month ahead, join us in a discussion that will go beyond the ideas and the strategies and dive into the practical applications of how it all works together. We will start off by delving into some of the basic questions like "What are tags? and How do I use them?" As we get closer to the event, we will be hearing from the panelists more directly and moving the conversation into areas that are of interest to you. So let's get this party started - post a comment and let us know what sort of things you want to discuss.

5 Comments:

That was a good albeit long read. We write just about anything because we just want to get things off our chest. Or we want to share a wow experience with someone; and if there's no one, then, just for posterity so we can go dig up that blog and reread. Good job, Chris.

hey chris. I am also excited about the ability to journal online, i am doing a blog essay for uni on the density and complexity of the interlinking and growing conversation and collective intellectual at the moment. I just had a thought that may be relevant. For years i wanted to keep a journal for artistic and theraputic reasons but i could never keep it going. I think web 2.0 has reignited the old tradition from the 17th through 19th century of keeping journals. I also think that the key to this is the fact that it is visible, and interactive. Its an exciiting time for people to build thoughts and share ideas for a stronger and more united generation. luv ur work!! http://terri2007a.wordpress.com

About Me

I started my first Internet company in 1994 and have been involved in quite a few since. At present I am organizing BrainJams in the Bay Area and working on launching a national BrainJams tour. I am also taking on consulting projects that deal with interactive communications, strategy, web site development, software architecture and user experience design. My personal site is located at http://www.chrisheuer.com/ where you can find out more about me as well as contact me.